WILL we see more Cup shocks on Sunday? Well this would be a good place to start as West Ham travel to Bristol City to face the rampant League One side. Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) previews the match for us.
Bristol City v West Ham | Sunday 14:00 | BBC1
There’s been so much to admire about West Ham this season. Their outstanding home form, their defeat of Manchester City, that special atmosphere at Upton Park, but I can’t be backing them on Sunday at evens in this match.
Let’s pay equal tribute to their opponents because Bristol City have had a superb season in League One with a mere three defeats from their 25 matches. As we saw on Saturday it’s dangerous to write off in-form League One sides!
I’m pretty sure Sam Allardyce would have seen this fixture as a pain in the arse earlier in the week but the fact the Premier League Top 3 all went spinning out the competition on Saturday might alter his thinking. Might.
By the same token, as absurd as it sounds, you could see the likes of Steve Cotterill saying to his troops that they could go very far in this competition with a bit of luck in the draw. Get through this, get a couple of reasonably kind draws and you’re in the semi-finals.
Bristol City have won 13 of their last 17 matches. Their three defeats came at the hands of League One heavyweights Swindon and Preston and Crazy Crewe who can beat anyone on their day. Including Real Madrid. They’ve won four in a row and are unbeaten in seven. There’s a lot to like about this side.
Saturday’s events will surely have a galvanising effects on these kind of sides and with the BBC cameras at Ashton Gate surely Cotterill will be screaming into his players lugs about the importance of performing on this platform.
I’d be tempted to back Bristol City to win this but 16/5 with Bet365 is just a little too short for me. I can definitely see goals in this fixture and I am surprised at some of the prices available on these markets.
West Ham have scored in 10 of their 11 away games this season while City have scored in 30 of their 34 matches in all competitions this season. This might just be a cracker of a match!
I feel a bit of miser going with Both Teams To Score at 3/4 with BetVictor but I really really like that bet you see. It’s the kind of price I like playing at and while I might get more brownie points for selecting Over 2.5 Goals (10/11) or even Over 3.5 (12/5) I think betting is about doing the right thing and having full belief in your pick. This would be one of my strongest picks of the weekend without any doubt.
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Bristol City v West Ham – Both Teams To Score (3/4 BetVictor)
